Some 69 per cent of UK consumers plan to visit a Lidl and/or Aldi supermarket to purchase at least some of their Christmas food and drink, according to research conducted by market analysts IGD.
"The increasing popularity of discount retailers is having an impact," IGD said in a statement. "Seven in ten (69% of) shoppers say they will use food discounters this Christmas.
"Beyond saving money, shoppers also cite the quality of products, the new products available and the opportunity to buy items unavailable anywhere else, as reasons for shopping in discount stores."
IGD also said that more than half of shoppers said they plan to visit two or more stores on the same trip to buy their food and groceries at Christmas.
"Supermarkets will remain by far the most popular destination but discounters, specialist stores (such as butcher and off licences) and convenience stores are also favoured by many," it said. "People are shopping around and spreading their spending across a growing number of formats."
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.